In general, an electronic control apparatus such as an ECU, which electronically controls various types of devices, is equipped in a vehicle. The electronic control apparatus receives information from sensors or switches that are installed at each part of the vehicle. The electronic control apparatus serves to perform various electronic controls for promoting improvement of a riding quality and safety of the vehicle or providing various items of convenience to a driver and a passenger by processing the received information.
For example, the electronic control apparatus such as the ECU, which controls states of an engine, an automatic transmission, an anti-lock brake system (ABS), and the like in the vehicle using a computer, also serves to control all parts in the vehicle, such as a driving system, a braking system, and a steering system as well as the automatic transmission as the vehicle and the computer have been developed in terms of performance.
The electronic control apparatus such as the ECU has a structure that includes a case which includes an upper cover and a lower base, a printed circuit board (PCB) which is accommodated in the case, a connector which is coupled to a front end of the PCB so as to be connected to an external socket, and the like.
The cover and the base are assembled together with the PCB while covering the PCB, and particularly, the connector, which is interposed between the cover and the base when the cover and the base are assembled, forms a sealing structure with the cover side and the base side.
Heating elements are provided on a top side of the PCB, and a heat radiating paste is attached to a bottom side of the PCB. The cover and the base are fastened by a screw.
The electronic control apparatus includes a high integrated control circuit means and thus requires a predetermined sealing structure that may prevent external moisture or foreign substances from flowing into the electronic control apparatus, and the electronic control apparatus adopts a sealing structure in which the cover and the base are typically assembled together with the connector in a state in which sealing materials are inserted on binding parts between the cover and the base and the connector so as to protect the PCB and the like in the electronic control apparatus.
Meanwhile, the electronic control apparatus is equipped in the vehicle, and thus, a housing may be damaged due to external impact in accordance with a vehicle driving state or environment. A number of screws are used to couple the cover and the housing because the structure coupled by screws may be loosened, and thus, manufacturing costs are increased, and efficiency of manufacturing processes deteriorates.
In a case in which a coupling relationship between the cover and the base of the housing is loosened, or a crack is formed in a coupling portion, an internal circuit may be damaged due to an inflow of moisture, and the vehicle may be abnormally operated at the time of driving the vehicle.